A Change In Scenery

Imagine being put to the ultimate test. Not being able to see. That is exactly what I experienced during my first day of IB Philosophy. During class, we did a trust activity. In the activity, you and your partner took turns putting on a blindfold. In the process, your partner acted as your guide without telling you anything. After slipping down a slide and almost falling into a creek, I realized that we as humans are heavily dependent on being able to see. Yet, we never take into consideration that we are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy the beauty of life. The world is full of color and we as humans are able to experience it. And yet, we take it for granted and abuse it. For example, I have never once thought to stop and look at my surroundings. Now, imagine living in a world where all you saw was the color black? That’s a big change in scenery, right?

There are parallels between being able to see, and not being able to see. When I was not blindfolded I was able to perfectly picture the world in front of me. I was able to freely walk as I pleased without taking into consideration of what was in front of me. Although, while I was blindfolded I had to make sure that I took into account every step I took. I had to make use of my other senses when crossing the street or when walking (one never knows what is in front of them when they are blindfolded).

In the end, when you have certain senses removed, even if it is for a little while, you come to realize how much you miss them.